Shifting Tourism Narratives and Actions to be Community-Based, Experiential and Regenerative
Throughout Canada, tourism is shifting as a result of some major factors. Visitors want more sustainable travel options for accommodations, things to do, transportation, and food. They want to take part in more meaningful activities within their regions, or when they travel to new destinations. Visitor sentiment studies from booking(dot)com confirm these changing aspirations. A global pandemic (Covid) and climate change have had a massive impact on how we view economics, consumerism, and travel and tourism. Severe weather events associated with human-accelerated climate change are affecting visitor choices in where to travel.
It is sometimes difficult to connect the dots between economics, tourism as a force for good, community business and collaboration, storytelling, and how to take actions to be more responsible as businesses and destinations in tourism. Celes Davar, as a trained climate change presenter, ecologist, and experiential tourism innovator (operations, coaching, community engagement) has been helping multiple communities, individual businesses, economic development agencies, tourism organizations, destination management organizations and community residents about how these different elements are linked. Perhaps even more important, he has coached hundreds of businesses on how to take small and large actions within their own businesses and communities to be collaborative, sustainable, and give back to their communities. Smartly integrating climate change research, destination management shifts, innovations in sustainable tourism, and practical examples.
Celes presents these concepts, frameworks, and linkages, along with provocative questions and showcasing multiple solutions in practice, as lively engaging online and in-person presentations. Using video-based examples from actual in-community visitor experience development, thoughtful frameworks for community-based tourism, and integrating shifting tourism strategies, Celes inspires change with those who are change catalysts and looking for clearly articulate pathways to invest, lead, and demonstrate change.
What businesses are saying about how Celes’ instructive coaching and presentations have been helpful:
“Your insights took my initial idea and stepped it up a few notches to really personalize the experience for the guests.”
- Caroline Jager, Homegrown Hideway, Norfolk County, ON
“Celes helped guide and steer thought processes, he was able to draw out from the discussion and reflect back salient points and suggestions based on his experience but also my own strengths and vision. Celes was able to push me to think about alternatives and small details I might otherwise have missed. Celes is a rockstar Experiential Tourism coach and facilitator”
- Cheryl Haskett, Udderly Ridiculous, Bright, Ontario.
“I have grown immensely as a professional and as a leader because of your coaching and “leading by example. You have sparked a passion in me that I didn’t even know was there, and that is to be genuinely curious about our local gems, listen to their stories, and help find ways to share with others in an engaging, fun, and environmentally respectful manner. The way you connect with others is remarkable and inspiring.”
- Nova Scotia operator
“It is clear that you value people's time, energy and input. The atmosphere you set up in sessions is one of mutual respect and appreciation. It is easy to admire someone who values you. Your genuine excitement over the ideas of others keeps people wanting to participate, and makes the session feel like a safe place to share. Another way that you make the training a safe place is by setting out clear boundaries at the very beginning. You make the assignment, the question, and parameters of responses clear and specific.”
- Manitoba resort owner/operator
Book a Presentation
Please contact us using this request form below, which will help us understand what you would like to accomplish.
We’ll call you and have a conversation about what you need, and how we can best support you.
Contact celes.davar@earthrhythms.ca for more information, or call 204.867.7152.